With the closing of Manzanita Speedway, USA Raceway in Tucson will be hosting the ninth annual Hall of Fame Classic Saturday night, October 10. The Discount Tire American Sprint Car Series headline the racing on the quick 3/8ths mile clay oval with Super Stocks, Factory Stocks and Dwarf cars will filling out the racing card.
Induction ceremonies for the Arizona Motorsports will take place during intermission with five inductees for the class of 2009. Harlan File (deceased), Gene Giles, Don Massetto, Hershel McGriff and Joe Dillon (deceased) will join the 79 people already members of the Hall of Fame which came into existence in 1986.
As is the tradition at the Hall of Fame Classic, ten drivers, many of whom are in the Hall of Fame, will be signing autographs on the main concourse starting at 5:00 P.M.. when the gate opens. Former Tucson drivers Bob Huebner, Bob Cleberg, Marion Smiley, Carl Trimmer, Benton Burns, Frank McDaniel, Hoot Gibson and Don Sink will be joined at the autograph table by Lealand McSpadden and Billy Shuman.
Huebner, Cleberg, Smiley, Trimmer, Burns, McDaniel, McSpadden and Shuman are members of the Hall of Fame and Sink and Gibson had very successful careers.
The 3/8-mile USA Raceway clay oval is located east of Tucson off I-10 Exit 268, then 1.6 mile south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales. For more information, contact the track at 520-574-8515.
Windy McDonald who has spent 52 years announcing races has been asked to announce the race and it could well be his final time behind the microphone as he has announced his retirement.
